


i turned around (and the water was closing around me)

by TheResurrectionist



Category: Batman - All Media Types
Genre: Batfamily Feels, Bruce Wayne is a Good Parent, Father-Son Relationship, Fluff and Angst, Gen, Nostalgia, Stag Nights & Bachelor Parties
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-19
Updated: 2019-07-19
Packaged: 2020-07-08 17:04:29
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 507
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19873054
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheResurrectionist/pseuds/TheResurrectionist
Summary: Dick and his brothers are celebrating. Bruce stays on the outskirts.





	i turned around (and the water was closing around me)

**Author's Note:**

  * For [WorkingChemistry](https://archiveofourown.org/users/WorkingChemistry/gifts).



_Bang_. 

The pop from the champagne bottle didn’t startle Bruce, but it put him on edge regardless. He took a second to roll his shoulders, releasing a month’s worth of stress through sheer determination. 

Cheers filled the bar, the rising mirth of the evening reflected on every face in the room. At the center, Dick held his glass up victoriously, supported on the shoulders of Jason and Tim. 

“To married life!”

A resulting cry spread through the gathered crowd. To his left, firmly away from any alcohol, Damian joined in, lifting his glass of cranberry juice with a battle yell worthy of Talia’s praise. 

Bruce smiled down into his gin and tonic, keeping an eye on Dick as Jason and Tim carried him through the crowd, stopping by several waitresses for what looked like…tequila?

He caught Alfred’s eye by the door to the private bar, and shook his head. That was going to be…messy. _Unless Dick has improved at holding his liquor since high school…_ he thought, nostalgic at the memory. Cheap whiskey sat well with nobody. 

A familiar, wide hand slapped a pair of shots down on the table. Clark grinned at him from behind wide-rimmed glasses, offering him one. 

“You should be up there,” the reporter said, nodding his head toward Dick. “Why mope over here?”

“Habit.” Bruce replied, taking the small glass. He held it up, examining the liquor in the light. “Do I want to know what’s in this?”

Clark smirked, tapping his glass with his own. “To many happy returns,” he said, gesturing toward Dick. They drank together, an awkward silence falling over the table as soon as the promise of whiskey was gone. 

“This is one of the most important nights,” Clark said, following his gaze across the rooms. “For fathers.”

The words bit into him. Bruce dropped the glass to the table, hiding the sting with a crack of his knuckles. 

“One I wish Pa got to see,” Clark’s accent slipped, in time with the intense stare he turned above Bruce’s shoulder. “One I wish I got to have with him.”

The doubt crept up his spine again, settling somewhere beneath his esophagus, slowly constricting his lungs. A strong grip on his shoulder kept him from spiraling. 

“Go,” Clark said, a bittersweet smile, a pair of dark, age-old eyes. He looked young, aged by infinite sadness. “Bruce. Who else would it be?”

He swallowed past the fire in his throat, nodding. Pushing up from the table, he crossed the room in two strides, Clark’s presence an encouraging force at his back. 

“Hey!” Jason cheered, spotting him. He nudged Dick excitedly, who was listing slightly on his shoulders. “Ready to drink the old man under the table?” 

Dick smiled dopily, fumbling for his shoulder. “Bruce!” he half-yelled, half-said. “Bruce! Let’s do tequila!”

Bruce and Tim locked eyes. A moment later, he slid his AmEx across the bartop. 

“Six shots of Herradura,” he said around a smile, heart fluttering as Dick raised his hands above his head in victory. “Reposado.”


End file.
